Florida Model Legislature Committees
Committees: A General Introduction
The committee is the heart of the legislative process. The committee does what the Senate and the House of Representatives could not do as well by functioning as a whole. The committee can and should do the fact-finding groundwork.The formation of committees breaks down the membership into numerous small groups. Opportunity is thus afforded the Senate and the House for closer study of a bill than would be possible in debate on the floor. In this preliminary screening, the committee will hear from the legislator who introduced the bill. It will hear, too, from other legislators who either favor or oppose the bill.
The committee may go outside the Legislature to learn the opinion of interested persons who may be well informed on the subject of the bill. The committee can subpoena for witnesses and for records. It can also use the research facilities of the Legislature to analyze the situation here and in other states. Citizens who wish to be heard are also allowed to speak at committee meetings.
Technically, both the Senate and the House, sitting as a committee, could do all these things. But committees can and do perform the work more efficiently and thoroughly. The volume of business in today's Florida Legislature is considerable. It would be difficult to complete if the entire body attempted to study every bill upon its introduction.
Source: Florida Legislature
Florida Model Legislature committees are a combination of Florida Legislature committees and are selected to fit the goals and objectives of the conference. These committees are not 100% aligned with that of the Florida Legislature.
The committee may go outside the Legislature to learn the opinion of interested persons who may be well informed on the subject of the bill. The committee can subpoena for witnesses and for records. It can also use the research facilities of the Legislature to analyze the situation here and in other states. Citizens who wish to be heard are also allowed to speak at committee meetings.
Technically, both the Senate and the House, sitting as a committee, could do all these things. But committees can and do perform the work more efficiently and thoroughly. The volume of business in today's Florida Legislature is considerable. It would be difficult to complete if the entire body attempted to study every bill upon its introduction.
Source: Florida Legislature
Florida Model Legislature committees are a combination of Florida Legislature committees and are selected to fit the goals and objectives of the conference. These committees are not 100% aligned with that of the Florida Legislature.
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Our House of Representatives |
